I did it for him
by Krialke
Summary: Two brothers with an unbreakable bond. No matter how much they fight, how much they hurt each other and hate each other, at the end of the day, they are still the Salvatore brothers. The younger would do anything for the older, the older would kill for the younger. Defan unrelated one shots, because we all need them. Stefan and Damon...Always and Forever. (New summary)
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: This thing is stupid, of course I don't own the Vampire Diaries! If I did then Stefan and Damon would have a looooot more trouble to go through ;)**

 **English is not my first language but I like to think I know plenty of it.**

 **R &R!**

* * *

 _"I'll be there as soon as possibile."_

"Stefan, please! Hurry up!" A very worried Elena hung up her phone as she stared at the horrifying sight in front of her. She had just informed Stefan of what was happening. And currently, she might as well be witnessing the death of her boyfriend's brother.

As the brown haired vampire spilled fuel all over Damon, Elena couldn't stop her racing heart and a feeling of helplessness creeped inside her body. "Please, don't!" She shouted desperately, not daring to go closer, but the vampire was beyond listening apparently.

"Please, why are you doing this?!" Elena tried again, and was half surprised when the stranger actually turned to look at her.

"This bastard killed my girlfriend!" His voice was laced with hatred and a blinding fury that had Elena startled and Damon's eyes widened ever so slightly.

Elena didn't know what to say. She knew, after all, that Damon wasn't exactly a nice person. She couldn't believe she had almost forgotten how many people the raven head had killed in his life.

"What?" Was the only thing she could manage. The tall vampire continued spilling gasoline on Damon.

"Yes! She went to visit Stefan, and this asshole killed her.." Elena paled as realization hit her like a ton of pricks. She could have sworn Damon stilled a little, too.

Slowly pronouncing her words, Elena whispered. "You...You're Lexi's boyfriend...You're Lee." When the vampire, Lee, didn't respond Elena went on, her voice trembling slightly, wether from shock or fear for Damon's life she didn't know.

"She told me about you. But...she said that you were human." At that, Lee turned toward Elena, and his face broke into a sad smile, sorrow radiating from his eyes.

"I was." He said simply before taking out a lighter, action which made Elena's breath catch on her throat. Taking a deep breath she asked. "Lexi turned you?"

"If you wanna be with someone forever, you gotta live forever." Lee said in an emotionless vocie. They both heard the low groans of pain coming from a forgotten Damon, who was desperately trying to get up from the floor. He was stopped however, from a swift kick to the stomach by an angry Lee.

Thinking fast on a way to save Damon, Elena blurted out the first thing that came to her mind. "She loved you!" Lee didn't show any kind of reaction to her words, except taking a step back. Feeling kinda confident she continued.

"She said...she said that when its real you can't walk away."

"Well, that's a choice she's not gonna have to make." He snapped at her harshly.

"Don't." Elena pleaded, her body trembling in fear. "Please, don't...don't hurt him!" She could hear Damon panting in pain as Lee lit his lighter.

"I'm doing you a favor." Lee said through gritted teeth. Elena couldn't handle it anymore _. 'Stefan!'_ She thought desperately. _'Stefan, where are you?...'_

* * *

Stefan had just arrived in Giorgia and was currently gasping for unneeded air. He scanned his surrounding with vampire eyes, searching for any sign of his brother and Elena. Last time he talked to Elena, Stefan was sure she was in some kind of bar or something.

 _'If that's the case, then I've got some serious searching ot do.'_ Stefan thought dejectedly as he eyed the seemingly endless pubs suffocating him. He didn't want to waste any time, though. His brother needed him. That was the only thing in his mind.

* * *

"She loved you." Elena repeated for what felt like the hundredth time, but that seemed like the only thing able to get through Lee's head. "And she was good, so...that means you're good, too."

Lee turned his head aside, hesitation slowly making way to his heart as he stood in place. Elena's words were soothing, in a way, logical.

Elena looked at Lee with a face off understanding and sympathy mixed together. "You're better than him." She said simply and was sure that, had Damon been able to protest, he would have strongly objected that remark.

"Don't do this, I'm begging you." Lee looked Elena in the eye, conflict showing in his eyes. In one hand, he wanted nothing more than to rip Damon's heart out. In the other hand, this girl's pleading for the life of the vampire trash next to him had settled a seed of doubt deep inside him.

"Please." Elena repeated one last time.

Lee didn't know what to do. Angrily, he turned at the black haired boy -if you could even call him that- in the ground and gritted his teeth in fury. Roughly, he pulled Damon up by grabbing his jacket and looked at him with such pure loathing that it had Elena scared the man would kill him.

Seeing the non-caring look Damon's face, Lee felt his fangs come out as he snarled at him and threw the older Salvatore into the nearby wall. Elena winced. God, coming from the sounds of Damon's groans that had to be painful.

Lee stalked towards Damon with vampire speed as Elena tried to catch up. Once more, the man pulled Damon up, this time though holding him by his throat, clutching it tightly.

"Tell me just one thing." Lee hissed dangerously at Damon, who now was wearing a blank expression. Not uncaring, not confident nor mocking or serious. Just blank. "Do you regret it one bit? Is there any little of heart left in that empty space in your chest that makes you feel regret? Do you even know that feeling...or have you forgotten every person you've killed like they were nothing?"

Elena stilled completely, knowing there wasn't a shred of humanity in Damon's soul. The tension in the tight silence was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Damon and Lee stared at each other, neither of them breaking contact while the Salvatore had yet to answer. Elena suspected that Lee already knew that Damon would never feel any kind of remorse for the people he killed, and suspected that he wasn't exactly expecting an answer, either.

Suddenly, Damon 'hmph'ed and slowly wrapped a hand around the wrist holding his neck. "Why is everyone so intent on painting me as the bad guy?" He asked in a nonchalant way that made Elena want to maim him. How in the world could he not see that he was on very thin ice?! Lee's eye twitched as he, too, noticed the tone.

"Listen here, dude." Damon went on, his hand now clutching tightly Lee's wrist. His face had darkened and his eyes made you think that he was on bloody murder. "Believe it or not, I _am_ sorry about Lexi's death. But I don't regret it." The dangerous air around him seemed to subdue because of how choked his voice was.

Elena didn't know if she should celebrate because somehow Damon had chosen to be honest or rip her hair out, screaming 'So. Not. The Time. DAMON!'

Lee's eyes narrowed in silent anger. "What did you say?" He whispered menacingly. Damon mustered all the strength he had and shoved Lee away, hard. Lee, who didn't expect this new predicament, was thrown harshly on the ground as Damon took in deep breaths and massaged his sore neck.

"To save Lexi...you..would kill me..without a second thought, right?" Lee just glared up at him while Elena stayed silent. The answer to that question was pretty obvious and Damon didn't wait for Lee to give him a verbal one.

"Well, I have someone to protect, too."

* * *

Stefan was running with vampire speed, mentally thanking any God who existed that it was night and no human would be able to recognize his blurry form.

Stefan ran from one bar to the other, searching quickly for any signs of Elena or his brother when he heard something. It was faint, more like a blurry whisper coming from far away, but it was still there. His vampire senses allowed him to hear the words.

And they were Damon's.

He couldn't understand what his brother was saying, the voice was low and he couldn't get most of the words, but that wasn't important. He had found him. As fast as his legs could run, Stefan hurried towards the back of an old pub and panting he turned to see if his brother was there, when he froze dead on his tracks.

There stood Elena, too caught up in what was happening in front of her to notice him. Then Damon, panting and massaging his neck while looking down at a man -vampire, he noted- who was holding his brother's stare. But what stunned Stefan were the last words that came out of his brother's mouth. He couldn't believe it, had he gone insane? Because what he had just heard was something he thought impossibile and in the same time something he had hoped for his whole life.

"Well, I have someone to protect, too."

* * *

Despite the huge amount of joy that blossomed inside Stefan to know that Damon actually cared for someone, his non-existent heart ached from a small amount of hurt and jealousy. He told himself he should be happy that his brother still had feelings inside of him, but he couldn't help wanting, wishing that it was him Damon wanted to protect. Stefan felt jealous of this person who apparently meant more to Damon than his own brother, as no one but Katherine had been able to before.

Be as it may, he couldn't stop the yearning inside him that held on to the cruel hope that maybe Damon cared, or would one day, care for him. That maybe he could have his brother back.

And as much as he knew it was just a fruitless fantasy to think his brother loved him...Even though he knew it was an impossibile wish, Stefan always had held onto that hope. But now that he knew Damon cared for someone else enough to admit he wanted to protect them, Stefan was beginning to let go of that hope...

He heard Damon cough and start talking, so he stopped his train of thoughts and listened.

"Just like you wanted to protect Lexi, I have someone I need to protect, too. And if it meant killing her to do that, well, then so be it." Stefan's eyes widened comically at that. What? Why was Damon talking about Lexi all of a sudden? His chest clutched as he thought of Lexi, and he suddenly felt guilty for loving the one who killed her. It was his brother sure, but it still felt as if he was betraying Lexi. Strange though, what did Lexi have to do with this person Damon cared about? And why was he talking about her to that strang-Oh.

He almost gaped as realization sunk in that the man on the floor was probably Lexi's boyfriend. Ouch.

"Liar!" Lee yelled at Damon as he stood up, causing Elena to flinch while Damon remained unfazed. "Lexi had nothing to do with you! She went to visit Stefan, you just happened to be there! She wouldn't kill anyone for blood or something else, so whoever you supposedly want to protect would be unharmed! Cut the crap and tell me why you killed her!"

Stefan...had to admit Lee had a point. Of course, he knew why Damon had killed Lexi. He had done it for himself, to throw the town's people off his tracks. So if Damon was going to lie, then he needed to come up with a better story.

Damon shifted his weigh from one leg to another as he once more hid his thoughts behind his blank, emotionless expression. "I hadn't planded to kill Lexi, hadn't even thought of it really. But then the town's police started investigating about vampires, thought the people I fed on were killed by one, and they were right. Sooner or later, they were going to track it back to us."

Elena paled in horror. She understood what that implied. From what Damon was saying, the town's police would have realized that the Salvatore brothers were actually vampires. But that wasn't what she dreaded. Judging from what she was hearing, Damon-

"You bastard! So you killed her to save yourself!" Lee shouted, shaking with fury.

Elena gulped. That was exactly what she had been afraid of. She couldn't even begin to imagine what Lee was going through now.

Damon glared at him. "If that was really that much of a problem for me I would have left the town ages ago." His words sent another silence between the three (four, but they didn't know that). Elena looked curious, Lee confused while Stefan was listening with his heart hammering. He knew the reason Damon didn't leave was because he had wanted to save Katherine, but could it be that, that wasn't the case? He flet confused as hell though: Who in the world could matter to Damon more than Katherine?!

He crushed down the feelings of hope and jealousy. No, that wasn't possibile. Katherine was the only person Damon had ever really loved. She had to be...right?

Damon's eyes had an unreadable glint in them, they looked soft and not like his usual ice cold blue eyes. They held an emotion Stefan couldn't really put a name on. "I couldn't care less about this town nor about its people. And I've never been one to keep a low profile."

Both Elena and Stefan rolled their eyes at that. _'Figures.'_ They thought simultaneously. Damon was too vain to not have people notice him.

"Stop talking in circles and tell me why." Lee demanded and now was beginning to think he would kill Damon after all.

Damon looked at him in silence for a moment, a moment in which Elena held her breath, praying Damon didn't say anything that would get him killed while Stefan swallowed.

Finally, Damon said it. "If I had been discovered, I would have easily killed the ones who saw me or who knew I was a vampire. And if I had to leave town" here he shrugged, looking without a care in the world. "I would have...But Stefan wouldn't."

Lee and Elena's grew big while Stefan felt his heart literally stop. Did he hear that right? Did Damon just say-? But why would he?! Stefan was too much in shock to gather his thoughts properly. He didn't have time to anyway, as Damon continued and he had to listen to every word.

"He could have silenced them but noooo! Saint Stefan would never allow himself to kill a human being. And if he did, he would have resented himself and went on to sulk or become suicidal for another half a century. Stefan wants to have as normal a life as he can. For once, he wants to forget the beast that he has became. And he is slowly reaching that. Mystic Falls is his home and the place where he found the one person who could make him smile. The one person he loves." At the last words, Damon's tone was bitter, Elena noted and she could have sworn there was a hint of...longing?

"Much as I hate it, Stefan here is happy. And I have to make sure it stays that way." Damon finished, lazily scratching the side of his head. He never wanted to admit anything about his real feelings for Stefan, to anyone. But he had killed Lexi, and she had been a really important person in Stefan's life (much to his irritation, might he add, it should have been him that Stefan looked up to) so he thought he owed it to Lexi, or in this case, Lexi's boyfriend, to know why he did it.

Elena was looking at Damon like she had never seen him before. This wasn't the Damon she had come to know. The Damon she knows is sarcastic, selfish, and uncaring. Emphasis on the uncaring part. He had never showed anything else but hatred or indifference towards his little brother and here he was saying...Oh, wait just a minute!

Elena's eyes widened in disbelief. "Hold on, you mean the person you want to protect is..." She trailed off, unable to finish because she thought that if she did, Damon would smirk in a mocking way and yell out that he was joking. She already suspected Damon would do that any second now.

Fortunately, Lee finished it for her. "Stefan? You want to protect Stefan?" Damon felt a little uncomfortable, but nodded. Elena stared at him again, mouth agape.

Said Stefan was slowly sliding down the wall, his eyes widened in shock. He could feel a foreign wetness in his eyes but was in no condition to care.

' _Please, God...Please tell me this is no dream.'_ Stefan felt his heart practically burning with a blazing fire as his mind repeated the words of his big brother. Was it true? His brain was reminding him of what he heard, but he still couldn't believe it. It was too good to be true, right? Did Damon really...care about him? The very thought sent shivers down his spine and warmth in his chest.

Lee had cooled off somehow and now the only thing he was feeling was shock. This wasn't the Damon Salvatore Lexi had told him about. She had always commented on his cruel personality and how much she hated the fact that Damon didn't take proper care of Stefan. This was new.

Lee glared angrily at Damon once more. "Why should I believe you?! Lexi has told me about you, you know? Damon Salvatore, a killing machine who cares about no one but himself. An arrogant toerag who would rip his brother's heart out and not think twice about it. And now you're telling me you want to protect him? Why would you?!"

Damon frowned at Lee's choice of words. Differently from what all of them believed, Damon would never hurt Stefan. Everyone in the world, but not his Stefan. Not the little brother who would forgive him for everything he did, who would stand beside him even if he was up against the whole world. No matter what happened, Damon would always protect his baby brother. Because-

"Becuase that's what big brothers are for." Damon said and Lee once more stared at him. Damon inwardly sighed. Well, he might as well finish what he started. "Even if he hates me with a burning passion, I'll be there for him. Even if he loathes me, wants to surpass me or kill me...Even if he is up against the whole world, I'll be there for him. I'll be there to help him up. If he's scared or angry or lost, he'll know that he's not alone. And if someone tries to hurt what's mine, I'll destroy them. Because in the end, that's what big brothers are for."

Lee studied Damon for any signs of lying and when finding none, he nodded stiffly and, using his vampire speed, left the clearing.

Elena finally regained her senses and ran towards Damon, who exhaled deeply. She smiled at the vampire with pride, a warm feeling embracing her. "That was..."

"Fucking embarrasing!" Damon cut her off and she startled. Damon took a deep breath and turned at her with a serious expression. "Listen here, I don't wish to compel you, so you're just gonna keep quiet and tell Stefan nothing about this. Are we clear?"

Elena couldn't believe it. "But! But why?! Why don't you tell him you lo-!"

Damon cut her off again, not wanting to hear that word. "It's for the best. It's better for Ste-for both of us if Stefan continues to hate me. If something happens, it will be safer if he thinks only about himself and you. Is that understood?"

Elena wanted so badly to protest, but she also didn't want Damon to erase her memory of this. So she nodded, disappointed.

Damon flashed his signature smirk. "Good! Now that I know Stefan will hear nothing of this, I'm hungry. Wanna go grab a bite?"

Elena glared at him and he quickly backtracked. "Okay. Relax, was just a joke. Come on, I'll take you home." Elena remembered that she had called Stefan and just as she was going to make Damon aware of that tiny little detail, she saw something, or better, _someone_ leaning at the wall far on her right. She almost instantly recognized the mop of dark, brown hair and smiled in joy. Damon didn't want her to talk? Fine. However, he didn't say anything about Stefan listening on his own.

Stefan was sitting, his back leaning on the wall, his arms wrapped around his knees and head hid in them. His shoulders were shaking slightly and if someone listened hard enough, they could hear the silent sobs racking his body. And through the seemingly endless tears, they could see the brightest smile one can have. Stefan stood there and cried his heart out, often letting out hearty chuckles. He tried rubbing the tears away but it was pointless, the tears just wouldn't stop.

Since he became a vampire, Stefan had had a life full of grief, guilt and suffering. He couldn't recall any moment when he was truly happy. Now though, now all the hurt, the regrets and the hauntings seemed to wash away in an instant. His brother loved him. Damon cared about him, he loved him! The more he thought that the less real it seemed and the more his heart seemed to burst from happiness.

For over a century, he had lived in secret. For over a century, he had lived alone, with nothing and no one to lean on. He had lived thinking there wasn't anyone in the world that loved him.

But Damon did. His brother did truly love him. Stefan let out another chuckle and got up. If any of Stefan's friends were there to see him, they would have probably fainted from shock. Or worse, had a heart attack.

Because after a long, long time...Stefan Salvatore grinned like the sun. A grin which radiated pure happiness.

* * *

 **A/N: If you want, I can turn it into a collection of One Shots about the Salvatore Brothers or a multi chapter story.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so I'm not entirely sure which episode this was, I think it was 2x05, Kill or be Killed, when Liz found out Damon was a vampire thanks to Mason Lockwood. So, this happens during the time Liz is kept locked by Caroline and the others. Damon shows a side Caroline, Elena and Stefan didn't know existed. Well, in Stefan's case still existed. Read on to know more. It's not entirely Defan, just an idea that wouldn't leave me alone, so here it is. I couldn't help thinking of this every time I watched the episode. Review if you like it, haters will be ignored. No offense, but if you don't actually describe what you don't like and give a reasonable reason, then I don't have to listen to your complaints. Adios!**

* * *

Damon Salvatore was NOT in a good mood. No matter what Stefan said, that werewolf was dead. Damon was going to kill him slowly and painfully, and he was going to enjoy every bit of it. He had always preferred sooner rather than later. No matter what the others thought, he did care about his friendship, if you could call it that, with Liz. He did _not_ appreciate getting exposed to the blond sheriff and he did NOT appreciate getting shot with wooden bullets. He growled at the memory of Liz shooting Stefan in order to get the answers out of him. That was the first time that Damon had wanted to truly hurt the blond sheriff.

He was currently in the basement with Caroline and Liz, the latter not having taken very well the fact that her daughter was a vampire. Damon had no idea what they were talking about, having been too caught up in his thoughts and not paying attention, but he did notice Blondie leaving the room while trying to keep her tears in. He vaguely saw Elena and Stefan try to comfort her, but he had already turned to Liz, words leaving his mouth sooner than he could stop himself.

"She's your daughter, you know." Even Damon didn't know why he said that. It was just something he felt compelled (no pun intended) to point out.

Liz stared at him in the eye, for a second seeing the friend who had helped her many times, before mentally slapping herself. This was not her friend, this was just a manipulative vampire. Taking a deep breath, she said.

"She's not my daughter anymore." No matter how strong she made herself out to be, she couldn't help her voice cracking at the end. Damon wasn't surprised by the answer. Truly, he wasn't. He knew first hand how humans, stressing out the council of Mystic Falls, felt about vampires. Still though, he couldn't stop himself from outright laughin. The sound echoed loudly in the empty basement. It wasn't humorous, it was empty and bitter and with a hint of irony that was almost hurtful.

Liz glared at Damon, not finding the situation a laughing matter. "And, pray tell, what's so funny?" She asked with an edge on her voice.

Damon shook his head, his lips pulled into his usual smirk. "Oh, nothing Liz, really. This situation just serves as a reminder of something I discovered long ago."

Liz furrowed her eyebrows and, no matter how betrayed she felt by the ravenette, her curiosity got the best of her and she asked.

"Reminder?"

Damon started pacing the room back and forth, slowly, as the smirk stayed on his face. "Yeah. You know, for vampires it's easy to turn your feeling off, just like a switch. That way you can't feel anything. No pain. No remorse. No guilt. Amazing, don't you think? There was a time I lived just like that, did everything I wanted without a care. But there is a catch. With the switch off, you can't feel anything else either, like caring or loving."

Liz didn't know why, but she was listening to Damon with interest and she didn't think he was lying. Plus, she was getting new information regarding vampires.

"Even as a vampire, even with my emotions off, I still believed in some feelings. Positive ones, if you can call them that." Seeing the look of surprise on the blonde's face he chuckled, looking around as if reliving those moments. "Yeah, I did. Though even if I knew the feelings of friendship, sibling love or even romantic love existed,-" he paused here and locked gazes with Liz, whose breath hitched at the look on Damon's face. His eyes were narrowed into slits, ice cold, while his lips, previously smirking, had turned into a thin line. After a moment, Damon continued in a steel-like voice.

"-parental love was something I never believed in."

There was a beat of silence after the vampire's cold words. "Parents pretend to love their children equally and unconditionally. But of course that's not true. They will always have a favorite. The brilliant child. The one who listens to them, the one who makes them 'proud'. The one who doesn't 'bring shame to the family.' That's how it has always been." Liz could almost feel the hatred drip from his words, which left her to wonder if the matter ran deeper than what Damon's nonchalance made it out to be. Damon continued, staring at Liz dead in the eye.

"How easily that changes. The moment the child does something they don't like. The moment the child 'disappoints' them. Parental love is no more of an illusion than werewolves and witches. Isn't that right Liz?" Liz's mind caught up with what Damon had meant before when he said it was a reminder and her eyes widened. Before she could stop herself, Liz shot up and glared fiercely at Damon, who, had he not been a vampire, maybe might have flinched at the intensity of the glare.

"If you're implying that I do not care about my daughter, then-"

"Oh, I'm not!" Damon cut her off with a dismissive hand. "I do know that you care about your daughter. I might even say you love her. But that didn't stop you from turning your back on her the moment you found out about her pointy teeth, did it?"

"I didn't turn my back on her!" The blond sheriff protested.

"Really?" Damon said in mock surprise. "Then I must have heard you wrong, is that it? Because I'm pretty sure your words were 'She's not my daughter anymore' right?"

Liz spluttered. "That-That's different!" She insisted.

"How is it any different?!" Damon persisted.

"She's a vampire!"

"And? What's so wrong about that that you can't accept her?"

Liz stared at him, as if Damon not understanding what she meant was completely insane. Damon, of course, knew what she was talking about. He just wanted to hear Liz say it.

"Because she is-she is..." Liz hesitated before finally saying. "She's a monster with a thirst for human blood."

A tense silence fell in the cell, both staring at each other, neither willing to back down. Damon was too angry inside to actually take notice of the footsteps nearing the cell's door. Caroline was trying to assure Elena that she was feeling good enough to visit her mother, while Stefan tailed a few steps behind them. In his opinion, leaving Damon alone with the sheriff hadn't been the best idea, so he wanted to check what his older brother was up to. They stopped short when they heard Damon and Liz arguing. Curious, they kept quiet and listened.

Damon was fuming. He had always had a temper and this conversation had taken a rather frustrating turn. "So that's your problem? Figures you'd say that, considering you're food." He said cruelly. Caroline gaped behind them and was ready to barge in and give Damon a piece of her mind, but Stefan's sudden tight grip on her arm stopped her. He made a shushing gesture and she nodded begrudgingly, going back to witness the conversation.

"I'll tell you a story, Liz, and then you can convince me who's the real monster here. Let's begin, shall we?" Damon went back to pacing the room, never once turning his back to Liz. "Once upon a time." He began in a mocking voice. "There were two brothers who adored each other. Who always put each other first, who'd die for each other. Nothing seemed to break their bond." A reminiscing look and glazed over his eyes and Liz couldn't help paying attention to the story. Stefan stood frozen as he realized what Damon was talking about.

"Until something did. And their bond would forever bear the scars of that mistake." Suddenly though, the reminiscing glint turned to hurt and regret and Liz felt so amazed at being able to pick up on Damon's emotions so easily, her eyes widened. Damon was clearly so absorbed into the memories he wasn't being all that careful with his mask. Stefan was equally surprised, he hadn't thought that what had happened back then had affected Damon that much. Anxious he listened.

"The two brothers fell in love with a very beautiful girl. Soon enough, they were fighting and competing for her attention. What even war hadn't been able to break, was destroyed by a pretty face and nice words. The girl was a vampire, while the brothers' father hunted vampires. The older brother loved her too much, while the younger brother didn't love her enough. Both of them had drunk her blood, while she enjoyed playing them, probaby wondering who'd crack first and kill the other. The younger brother, a softie as he was," Here Stefan couldn't help rolling his eyes. "Asked his father if there was a possibility that vampires weren't all evil. That maybe they can be good, too. The father wasn't stupid. He put two and two together and arrested the vampire, organising her death."

"Both brothers, foolish as they were, went to save her. They were risking everything for what they believed to be true love." Here, Damon stopped and took a deep breath, while Stefan steeled himself to hear the words fall from his brother's lips. "While they were letting her out of the cage...they were shot to death, mericlessly. They were killed for trying to save what they believed was a harmless, loving girl who _happened_ to be a vampire. Humor me, Liz, who do you think shot them?"

Liz was bewildered. She had worked out that Damon was talking about his story, too much emotion showed in his eyes and voice for it to not be, but she couldn't believe...As a parent she couldn't comprehend...

She stood up and looked at Damon. "N-No. He couldn't have." She said simply, her voice shaking while Damon smiled. A smile bitter and devoid of humor. "Bingo, applaud for the winner. So tell me, aren't parents supposed to love their children? Aren't they supposed to protect them and put them first?! How does one get called father, when he kills both his sons, who were merely blinded by love?! Who kills his youngest son, barely even seventeen, while the other day he had been bragging about him?! Just because now he's apparently ashamed of him?! Tell me Liz, who's the monster here?!"

Liz just trembled in shock while Caroline felt tears on her eyes. She turned towards Stefan, whose gaze seemed to be glued to the stone cold floor.

Damon leaned in a bit towards Liz, who sat down again on the bed, if only to create as much distance between them as possible.

"You've got a lot of nerve," Damon started with a scowl. "To call her a monster when you have no idea what she went through. When the likes of you hunt us down like we are animals. Killing and torturing us simply for being what we are. Simply for existing and _surviving."_ Damon's eyes flashed as memories of his time in the Augustine's prison popped up in his mind. "Do you think she chose this life? Living in constant hunger, constant fear that her mother would find out and stake her? Do you think any of us did? Do you think getting turned into a vampire is as easy as getting a bite and then get it over with? No. Let me tell you Liz, what your daughter had to endure. Just like we did, she had to die."

Liz, who had turned paler and paler with every word that left Damon's mouth, now looked ashen and thoroughly shocked. "W-What?...She d-died? How? When?!"

Damon smirked, not his usual cocky one, but a mocking, merciless smirk. "Yes, Liz. She died. She was suffocated while in her hospital room, the night she was in an accident with the Lockwood boy. She would have died, had she not ingested my blood. It has...curing abilities, shall we say, but if you die with a vampire's blood in your system, you'll be one by the time you wake up."

At Liz's tear-filled eyes and trembling bottom lip, Damon sneered. "Be grateful she was out cold and calm before she died, some of us weren't that lucky." Stefan swallowed at that, while Caroline was biting her lip in order to distract herself from the memory of her death. That and the fact that, a part of her, was grateful for Damon telling her mother all that. For him saying what she didn't have the courage to and for, in a way, trying to open her eyes. Elena put a hand on her shoulder in comfort.

Liz cleared her throat and locked eyes with Damon, pleading. "I don't have a choice. It's my job to protect this city and its citizens. They have put their trust in me to protect them and their families. Their children. Caroline is a danger to all of them, just like everyone else like her."

Damon didn't know if he should be more incredulous at her words or her pleading for him to understand. He chose the latter.

"You're willing to choose strangers over your last family, your own flesh and blood. I can't understand that." He said coldly and felt satisfaction when he saw Liz flinch. "Because for everything that I have ever been accused of being...heartless, selfish, cold and cruel...I wouldn't put _anything_ or _anyone_ in the world over my little brother. Hell, I would let the world and everyone in it burn in front of my eyes, sit back and watch it, if it meant Stefan would be safe. I would hunt down and murder anyone who hurt him. And you know why? Because last time I did, it nearly destroyed me. Because without him, I'd be nothing. _Because he, is all I have left."_

Elena's eyebrows shot up at that, disbelief clear on her face, while Caroline put a hand on her mouth to cover her gasp. Both of them simultaneously turned to look at the brown haired vampire next to them. Stefan had his back to the wall, eyes wide and staring aimlessly as his mouth gaped mutely. He was in shock, yet a warm bubbling feeling burst in his chest. A part of him, however small, had in a way...always thought...always known...that Damon cared. Maybe just because they had been a constant in each other's lives, or just because it was the way it had always been...But Stefan never thought his brother would love him the same way he did when they were human. When Stefan's entire world orbited around his older brother. He certainly never though he'd hear Damon admit to it either.

Damon eyes were screaming murder, his fists clenching and unclenching in fury. "And you were ready to kill him. You were going to hurt him, in order to get the information you wanted out of me. You would have killed him, if (and after) I had told you how we could walk in the sun, under the excuse that he is dangerous. Stefan, who has not drunk a drip of human blood in _decades._ Who goes against his _very nature_ , surviving in animal blood, in order not to hurt _innocent people._ Who wakes up in the morning, knowing he'll have to fight against his growing hunger for blood for the rest of his existence, who hears the blood rushing in his friends bodies and _literally_ has to restrain himself, knowing he won't be able to stop."

The more Damon talked, the more it seemed to fuel his anger and resentment, because he knew how much his little brother suffered. Stefan's chest constricted with every word of Damon's, swallowing him whole while Caroline winced and looked at him sympathetically.

Suddenly, it seemed that Damon's rage got the best of his self control, and a hand shot to grab Liz's throat in a tight grip, hard enough to stop her from breathing. Caroline almost shot into the room again, but stopped herself. After everything that she had witnessed she knew that Damon wouldn't really hurt her mother.

"Had you been anyone else, Liz, I would have killed you long ago. But I won't." He said dangerously, while Liz gasped for much needed air. "Maybe I should turn you into a vampire, then we'll see how keen you are in killing us, when you realize for real the horrors we go through."

Elena couldn't stop herself and her natural protective nature, so she bolted into the room and yelled. "Damon, stop! What are you doing?" Damon immediately let Liz go while Caroline rushed at her mother. Stefan went in and stood behind Elena. Damon though, hadn't spared her a second loo, his eyes were glued to Stefan's.

"I wasn't going to hurt her." He said simply and strode past them in vamp speed. Stefan walked out the door and looked at the direction his brother had disappeared to.

Silently, a tear ran down his cheek as he said softly. "I know." _I've always known._

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 **Done! Oh God, maybe that wasn't the best I've ever written, but it was hard as hell! Tell me what you think, though it didn't turn out exactly as I had imagined. I imagine that maybe I'll do mikaelson one shots too, if I have the inspiration. For now, bye bye!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Surprise! New chapter so soon! Yes, I'm amazing, I know. Anyway, I don't know what's up with these completely ridiculous but totally original one shots of mine. I mean, I've searched, but I haven't read any one shot like these, so hopefully they aren't horrible. Thank you all for the reviews! You people are awesome! Hope you enjoy this one, too. I know I did.**

 **Summary: I don't wanna give away too much, so here it is: Since the 1950s, Stefan has noticed that once a year, Damon behaves oddly. He doesn't speak, he doesn't drink, he just takes a motorbike and disappears, only to come back later, looking totally crushed. One day, he decides to follow him, not knowing that he's walking into one of the most terrifying periods of Damon's life. Kinda AU. Contains spoilers for season 5...I guess? Just from one episode really.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Stefan sat troubled in one of the couches of the Salvatore's Boarding House's living room, a glass filled with whiskey clenched in his hand. He had always preferred that over bourbon, a fact which still seemed to horrify his older brother.

Damon.

Stefan dipped his head back, the alcohol burning the walls of his throat. It was that time of the year. The time when Damon seemed to take down every wall he had built around his heart, when his emotions left him vulnerable and his sarcastic words were all but gone. Much as he didn't want to admit it, Stefan worried. It had been this way for about half a century and never had he dared to ask Damon what that specific date meant. Why was it so important to him.

It had taken him a decade or two to notice. But once he did, Stefan worried. He had hoped that asking Alaric would have shed some light in the manner. Even if Stefan and Damon weren't on particularly good terms, Stefan liked to think that he knew his brother. That his brother still trusted him and counted on him. Even if he wasn't going to pretend they had regular heart to heart's, he was sure Damon wouldn't keep many things secret from him. Alaric was his best friend, so he had thought Damon would have told him why he was behaving that way.

Alaric however had been clueless. He had said that it was probably nothing and just Damon being Damon, but Stefan knew different. This wasn't usual for his brother. Looking back, it seemed stupid, asking the history teacher. Stefan knew that Damon wasn't one to open up to anyone, be it his younger brother or best friend.

He was jerked out of his thoughts when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Stefan put down the glass and looked at the end of the staircase, careful to keep his expression neutral. Damon was there, wearing long, dark jeans, a black t-shirt while his signature leather jacket, rested on his arm. His 'signature' smirk however was missing. Instead, his face was expressionless. Blank and completely devoid of any emotion.

Damon walked across the room and headed to the door. Stefan's eyes never let his figure and he surprised himself when words left his mouth without his own accord.

"Where are you going?" Damon stopped, staying incredibly still and for a second Stefan wondered if he was just as surprised at his question. After a moment, Damon just let out an "Out." before disappearing out the door. Stefan sat frozen for a moment, before deciding that enough was enough and he bolted out of the door as well.

He searched with his eyes for a moment and then spotted Damon's car speeding down the road. Without wasting any time, Stefan took his motorbike and followed close behind. Stefan left a considerable amount of distance between the two of them, in an attempt to not let Damon notice he was being followed, though Stefan had a feeling it wasn't really necessary. If Damon had been alright, he would have noticed him ages ago. But right now, he seemed to have closed off the outside world.

After some time travelling, Damon stopped in front of a flower shop. Stefan had gaped in shock at that and double checked. Yep, definitely a flower shop. What on earth-

If seeing Damon enter the shop was shocking, seeing him come out with a bouquet of red roses was astonishing to say the least. They somehow suited his current image, but being a guy and more importantly, _**his little brother**_ , Stefan found the sight way too cliche and positively sickening.

Stefan wondered why, or more possibly, who the hell did he want the roses for. Seeing Damon's car almost disappear out of sight, Stefan started the motorbike and followed. Soon enough Damon stopped in a field. It was full of scattered trees and not a house could be seen for miles. Stefan had absolutely no idea where they were or what this clearing meant. Damon took the flowers and started walking into the forest, while Stefan tailed behind him, unseen. After having crossed the forest of green pines he saw it. It was a large building, old and wrecked, almost raised to the ground. If Stefan had to guess, he's say it was probably burnt almost to a crisp, and by the look of it, it had been a huge fire as well.

Damon stopped at the entrance of it, looking it up and down. Stefan hoped that he wasn't planning on entering, the building looked like it would fall the moment someone stepped inside.

Stefan looked at Damon and his undead heart almost stopped when he noticed. Shaking. His big brother, strong independent Damon Salvatore, was shaking. He couldn't believe it, but the proof was right in front of him. Trembling shoulders, His shoulders were slumped, trembling slightly while the fingers holding the bouquet shook and he could more feel than hear Damon swallowing as he stared at the rundown building.

Taking a deep breath, Damon slowly fell on one knee and gently laid the roses at the entrance, not daring to get inside. Stefan wondered what he must be thinking of, but from his position at the edge of the forest, he couldn't see Damon's face. Suddenly, Damon began talking, causing Stefan to jump a little, but he remained quiet and listened.

"I'm here again. It's been another year and I still have the nerve to show my face here." Damon's voice was cracking and the realization hit Stefan like a ton of bricks: Damon was struggling to keep tears in. Stefan didn't know how to feel about that. He had never expected this, not when he was human, and certainly not now. His heart ached and he had to literally restrain his body from moving out so he remain hidden. _For now_ , the thought thundered in his mind.

Stefan wanted to know what had happened here, and why Damon was talking like that.

Damon made a show of looking around, a shaky smirk highlighting the bitterness of his face. "It's been now, what, fifty years? Weird how fast time moves when you're out of this place. When we were trapped here, even an hour seemed like a decade. Right?" Damon was quiet for just a second, then-

"Enzo?" He turned just a little and Stefan could see, at the whispered name, a tear roll down Damon's right cheek, though he immediately brought up a thumb to wipe it. Stefan could feel Damon's pain as if it was his own. He racked his brain for information, a memory, a conversation-anything related to that name.

Enzo. Enzo. _Enzo..._ No matter how many times he repeated the name, it held no meaning to Stefan. Though it clearly mattered a lot to Damon. Just who was this person? Stefan felt a rush of protectiveness wash over him and if this 'Enzo' had hurt his brother in any way, Stefan would rip his heart out of his chest.

Damon started talking again, this time caressing lightly the petals of one of the roses. "You used to love roses. Remember, Enzo? After you admitted that, I used to tease you about being a girl. I used to say that you were such a sap. I promised you that after we had escaped, I'd bring you roses...And every time you lost hope of ever getting out of here...I used to say that we'd get out one day, so I could keep my promise..."

Damon cut himself off to take a deep breath, trying to get a hold of his emotion. "It has been fifty years, Enzo and the guilt still seems to suffocate me. And no matter how cheesy this sounds, even your eyes seem to haunt me." He trailed off as he winced, a deep sadness and regret marring his features. "I still get nightmares, you know? You there, staring at me with those terrified, brown eyes, begging me to save you..." Damon closed his eyes as his body automatically leaned in a little, his forehead resting on his knee.

Now tears rolled down both of Damon's cheeks, like endless rivers falling on the bouquet and Damon didn't make any move to wipe them. Why should he? More would come out anyway. His chest throbbed as if there was a monster there clawing his way out. He could feel his blood pounding loudly in his temples, as his mind flashed to every moment he shared with Enzo.

Enzo, his friend, his brother, his _hope..."_ I am sorry, Enzo. God, I am _so_ sorry."

Stefan felt his throat tighten, he couldn't bear it anymore. Stefan walked from behind the tree towards Damon, stopping just two feet from him. Damon heard him moving and his eyes snapped open, widened. He instantly turned to look and froze when he saw Stefan.

"Damon." Stefan started, half in a greeting, half wanting anything but silence between them.

"How long have you been there?" He asked immediately as he cleaned his face as fast as he could. Stefan's heart broke a little. Even while clearly hurting, Damon felt the need to appear strong. The fact that he felt that need towards his own brother felt like ashes on Stefan's mouth.

"Since the beginning." He replied and Damon glared at him. Stefan almost shuddered. It had been a long time since Damon looked at him with those kind of eyes. Murderous, cold eyes.

"I wasn't aware that I left the impression of wanting to be followed." He said coldly and Stefan chose to ignore his words, instead asking what he really wanted to know.

"Who's Enzo?" Damon stiffened instantly before trying to cover it up with feigned casualty.

"No one important." Stefan had the feeling that those words, even if he didn't mean them, cut deep for Damon.

"Important enough to make you cry." He countered. Stefan still didn't know how to feel about that information, meaning if he should start making plans to murder him or be grateful for him being an important part of Damon's life.

Damon didn't have anything to say to that, especially if Stefan had heard everything he said. He looked away.

"Damon, please. Talk to me." Stefan pleaded, trying and failing to meet Damon's eyes.

"Why?!" Damon snapped, irritated at his little brother. He had probably just wanted to visit this place and get it over and done with.

"Because I'm your brother! Because I want to _help_ you. Because I _care_ about you!" The admission rang loudly in the silent field as the wind carried his words away. Damon's eyes widened as he gaped a little. He was deeply surprised and Stefan could understand why. Since they had turned into vampires, they had always had a silent understanding: Fighting each other, taunting each other, but if in trouble, always by each other's side. Always helping. Protecting. Never did they say it out loud, nor admit it. They hadn't felt the need to.

But apparently, they did now.

Damon stood staring a little, his eyes slightly puffy from tears, before clearing his throat. "Fine." He said and ran a hand through his hair. "Fine. You want to know about Enzo?"

Even if it probably was a rhetorical question, Stefan still nodded.

"Remember on 1912? We had a little falling out and didn't speak for years?" Damon began.

Stefan nodded again. How could he forget?

Damon swallowed and looked away again. "Around that time, the fifties to be exact, I got myself captured."

Stefan's eyes widened. "Wait, what?" Of all things, this wasn't what he had expected to hear. "By who?"

Damon smirked a little, which actually relieved Stefan. "Yeah, I admit I was careless. Shot twice with wooden bullets laced with vervain. As for who...There was this group called, the Augustine Society."

Here Damon looked over his shoulder at the burnt building behind him and Stefan could clearly see the effect it had had on Damon. It was clear in his eyes. The blue mischievous orbs looked completely empty. There wasn't even an ounce of fear or hatred in them, they were soulless, as if the life had been sucked out of them. So much worse than just pain, he looked almost...broken.

Stefan shuddered. He didn't even want to imagine that.

"They were a group of scientists who experimented on vampires 'in the name of science'." Damon's voice was mocking, though still so very weak. Like he couldn't find the strength to talk about that. "Bullshit. They were nothing but sadists who tortured us for their own mad desires. I was thrown in a cell next to a guy. A guy who I soon learnt to be called Enzo."

Stefan stood deathly still. His heart was hammering as a wave of shock and fury shook him from head to toe. His fists trembled and drew blood from how hard he was clenching them.

"They tortured you..?" His voice had lowered, dangerous. "H-How? For how long?"

Damon pursued his lips, screwing his eyes shut in order to push away the painful memories of pain and torture, the tools, tables, insane laughter from when they were tearing him apart...Damon felt on the verge of a panic attack and willed his body and mind to calm down.

"You really don't want to now what happened to me, dear brother. It was one of the greatest horrors I went through, even if I was there just five years."

Stefan stared at him, incredulous. "Only five? What the hell do you mean _only_ five?! Have you lost your mind?! How the hell did you even survive for that long?! How did you escape? _Why did you never tell me?!_ " The guilt threatened to eat Stefan whole. How could his brother have kept this from him? How could he have not noticed? His brother had been through unimaginable pain and trauma _and where had he been?! How could he have not helped?!_

Damon looked surprised at how great of a reaction he was getting from Stefan. As if he could understand, if their roles were reversed, Damon would be on a killing spree already.

"I'm telling you now." He argued weakly.

"Damon!"

After a moment. "I didn't want you to feel guilty. I always used to think you'd someday come and break me out." Cue Stefan's heart getting crushed. "And I did hold a grudge for quite some time, but after seeing you...I only felt relief. So I saw no point in telling you."

Damon sighed while Stefan blinked back tears. He should have known. He should have been there. He should have done something- _Anything_!

"Enzo?" He asked, voice croak. The first real smile since morning appeared on Damon's face.

"His name was Lorenzo St. John, though he insisted to be called Enzo. He was the one who helped me keep my own sanity. He was my hope, the only thing that kept me going. There were times where I was pushed too far the edge, and he was always the one to bring me back. In that place, he was my light. The first person who I opened up to. After almost losing my brother, Enzo made me trust again."

Stefan smiled warmly at hearing Damon talk about this Enzo. Apparently he had been there for Damon when Stefan himself couldn't. And for that Stefan would be forever grateful to him. His smile dimmed however when a thought occurred to him.

Slowly, with a feeling of dread, he asked. "Damon...where is Enzo now?"

As he feared, Damon's smile vanished immediately. Instead, his eyes filled with regret, guilt and pain once again. Stefan was trying to to dwell on Damon's earlier words.

"Everyday...they'd give us a glass of blood, enough to keep us alive." Damon's breath had quickened, a human reaction, which said a lot about his current state. "My fourth year there, Enzo came up with a plan. One of us would have to give up his blood for a year, so the other would gain the strength to break them out. We did rock, paper, scissors, can you believe that?"

Damon let out a strangled laugh, while Stefan winced.

"I was the lucky one. On the day they let us out, once a year, I started storming the place, killing almost all of them and, believe me brother, when I say that I've never enjoyed killing so much."

For once, Stefan held absolutely no objection. He hoped with every fiber of his being those bastards burnt in hell.

"Everything was going just fine...until a fire broke out. It was quickly growing and going out of control. Enzo was still waiting for me to let him out. He was locked and chained in a cage laced with vervain."

Stefan looked again at the burnt _prison_ and imagined how that day must have been like. He already had an idea where this was going. Stefan noticed that Damon was shaking again, looking at the ground, but not really seeing. He seemed to be reliving that very day.

"I tried..I tried, I really did, but I couldn't even touch it and Enzo-Oh God, Enzo was looking at me-he was so frightened! It was his idea...He trusted me..And I-I..." Damon was close to hyperventilating and Stefan didn't think twice about wrapping his arms around his older brother, one around his back while the other pressed against the raven hair, supporting Damon's head on his shoulder. He hugged Damon tightly while the other finally broke down, tears rolling down like never before.

"I abandoned him! I looked at him in the eye...and..and..Stef, how could I do that, he trusted me! Ten years! He suffered there for ten years! Always smiling...Always hoping..For what?! For what, damn it! It should have been me!...Not him..Never him! It should-It should have been me..." Stefan didn't utter soothing words, didn't even rub circles on his back. Damon didn't need that right now. He didn't need to be told that it wasn't his fault right now. He didn't need to be told that everything was okay. Because it wasn't. Because Enzo was dead.

Right now, he just needed his brother. He just needed to mourn the death of family. Because that's what Enzo was. Because that's what he'll always be. 'Thank you, Enzo. For saving my brother.'

Damon sobbed on Stefan's shoulder, hands gripping the material of his t-shirt as if his life depended on it. Stefan could make out the words 'I'm sorry' between the continued repeat of Enzo's name.

Stefan just held him, as a tear ran down his own cheek. A tear full of pain for what his brother went through, for all the guilt inside him, for the lost man that could have been his brother. Stefan just hoped that, wherever Enzo was, he knew that Damon never forgot. That he was sorry, and that Stefan hoped he could forgive him.

He didn't know how long they stood there. He didn't care either.

* * *

In the same clearing, meters away from the two Salvatores, a young man stared aimlessly, his hand covering his mouth as he cried silently. Behind the hand however, hid a painful, yet blinding smile.

A velvet voice. British.

"I forgive you...Damon."

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 **Done! OMG, I almost cried myself! Review please! Three guesses who's at the end!**


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